New details in fatal blast linked to Taser

Documents reveal suspect led border agents on chase, ignored commands

The burnt remains of a car rest in the eastbound lanes of Old Highway 80 after it burst into flames following a chase with a Border Patrol agent. The car's driver died and the agent was injured when the vehicle exploded.
— John Gibbins

The burnt remains of a car rest in the eastbound lanes of Old Highway 80 after it burst into flames following a chase with a Border Patrol agent. The car's driver died and the agent was injured when the vehicle exploded.
— John Gibbins

Details surrounding the unusual death of a young man whose car exploded after being pulled over by a U.S. Border Patrol agent are slowly beginning to emerge as a lawsuit unfolds in San Diego federal court.

Authorities have released little information since the 2012 death of Alex Martin.

But court documents filed by both sides in the case now reveal the identity of the Border Patrol agent who fired a Taser at Martin’s car, possibly sparking the deadly explosion, and answers the question why.

Martin, 24, was heading home to Texas after a visit to San Diego the night of March 15 when he caught the attention of the Border Patrol.

His rented Ford Focus was going the wrong way on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley Road, then made a U-turn and exited, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s account. The area is a known pickup point for drug and immigrant smugglers.

The agents saw Martin get out of the car, look at a sign, then continue north on Pine Valley. Thinking he was involved in criminal activity, they decided to stop him.

Martin refused to stop, and the agents pursued. Martin stopped near the Sunrise Highway off-ramp at one point but sped away as the agents got out of their car, prosecutors said.

As he neared the Highway 80 checkpoint, the agents radioed ahead that the car was approaching. Agents set out spike strips to deflate the tires, and Martin drove over them and continued for another mile before stopping.

Agents yelled at Martin to get out of the car with his hands up, but he ignored the commands, prosecutors said. They tried to open the doors, but they were locked.

The agents saw Martin reach for something in his center console, prompting one agent — identified by defense lawyers as Roy Salcedo — to break the a passenger side window with a flashlight. He then fired a Taser at Martin in an effort to subdue him, prosecutors said.

What came next was a fiery explosion that engulfed the car. The intensity of the flames prevented a rescue.

Salcedo was thrown backward from the blast and suffered minor injuries, the Border Patrol said.

The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed by San Diego attorneys Eugene Iredale and Julia Yoo on behalf of Martin’s parents, said the Taser manufacturers warn against using the stun gun where flammable gases or fumes could be present.

The suit said the spike strips that punctured Martin’s tires or the rough terrain he drove over before stopping on the side of the road could have compromised the gas tank, releasing flammable vapors.

The family’s lawyers also said the agents pursued Martin in unmarked cars not equipped with lights or sirens.

The Medical Examiner’s Office has never released the cause of death, saying the case is sealed. The Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the death, has also declined to release details about the explosion.

Iredale said Wednesday that he hopes to begin receiving the official reports in the case soon, as part of the discovery process, and he and his investigators will finally be able to examine the evidence and identify the other agents involved.